Archive for the ‘strawberries’ Category

You can have this pie whenever you please — day or night. However, its fruity flavors are breakfast-ish to me. And, while it is a pie, it is made of such healthful ingredients that you can start your day off quite nutritiously with a slice.

To make the crust, process the nuts/seeds, coconut (if using), vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in food processor into a finely ground powder.

Add the pitted dates, 1/3 of a cup at a time, and process for 30 to 45 seconds at a time.

Once all the dates have been added, you should have a solid “dough-like” product. If it does not stick together, add a few more pitted dates and process again.

Remove the “dough” from the food processor and press it into a 9 or 10-inch pie pan (preferably glass), forming a crust that goes up onto the sides of the pan. Once done, place pie pan in freezer for 30 minutes.

While crust freezes, make the filling, as detailed below.

Rinse out the food processor and fill it with berries, the sliced banana, and the raisins. Process for 45 to 60 seconds, or until completely smooth. If needed, add up to 1 Tablespoon of water to make processing easier (careful, though, you don’t your filling to be watery!).

Once filling is smooth (and has a creamy texture), remove crust from freezer and pour filling into pie pan.

Refrigerate pie pan for at least 90 minutes.

Once pie has been fully refrigerated, cut into eight uniform slices and enjoy!

1. For a simpler and less costly crust, you can definitely use one type of nut or seed. I like using a combination in order to achieve more flavors, but that is completely up to you. If using multiple nuts/seeds, feel free to experiment with different ratios, too. You can also try ingredients not listed in this recipe (i.e.: Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, etc.)

2. The extra scoop of whey or hemp protein in the filling provides an additional 2.5 grams of protein per slice, and thickens up the texture slightly. I find that an unsweetened, vanilla-flavored type works best with the filling.

3. Serving this for guests? Top it off with whole fresh berries or sliced fruits of your choice!

4. If you want to give the crust a hint of chocolate flavor, add one tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to the crust. For a deep chocolate flavor, add two tablespoons.

Brandon: Delphinidin, which has been studied extensively and shown to be a powerful chemopreventive phytonutrient (meaning it is quite powerful at squashing tumor cells), is also prevalent in blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, elderberries, raspberries, and strawberries.

Start your day off with a blueberry-banana-strawberry shake and you’ll get your delphinidin on!

Purnima: The following vegetables are categorized as “orange vegetables”. The classification is, of course, based on color, but also on the specific phytonutrients, antioxidants, and carotenoids these foods offer:

Keep in mind, though, that these same compounds are also found in vegetables that belong to the Brassica family of plants (i.e.: broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, mustard greens, kale) as well as strawberries, pears, and peanuts.

These foods are only a concern for people who already have underactive thyroids.